Ah, the last 10 days have been nothing but passing time but getting nowhere. Easy to relate to, yek?
There's been no new progress on jobs. Still waiting out the federal government, which seems to move at a glacial pace on its best day. Last week I called temp agencies and today I met with an employment place and they might have something through June, which would be cool.
In the meatime, I'm still enjoying the Parks & Rec job. Basically I go every day and watch a kids game, hope no one gets hurt and give tips when I can. Mostly, especially for the T-ball, I try to help the coaches get their kids in and out of the dugout safely. It's like herding baby gerbils, I think.
Fast-forwarding to retirement, I think I'll be one of those super-busy people. I'm basing that on the fact that I am astoundingly busy for someone with no "real" job.
Every day, I wake up to Kocur and Dodger pushing (then pulling) for a walk, and then I get right on the job search, which is a workday in itself. I do yard work bzaf, sometimes I mail stuff I sell on half.com or do other little errands, and then somehow it's time to sit down and work on the book -- at least until job time. I do that then come back and work on the book some more, then Kocur wants to go out or something.
That's not even counting things like French class and working at the Red Cross, which I'm also plugging away at. I'm just amazingly busy.
So time's a-wasting. Last week, I had to explain the "'gap" in my resume for the first time. I almost laughed. It's not like I'm sitting in bed drooling. I'm actively working, for crying out loud.
So far, I haven't hit the final destination but am at least moving forward. And today, I hit a milestone. My little car, officially mine in all ways, hit 100k. I missed it, too. I knew it was coming but was on my way from talking to a fellow French student to meeting Beth for lunch and I just forgot to look down. Last time I checked it, it was 99983 and then -- boom! -- it was 100011.
The digital odometer isn't near as fun as the old ones, though. I missed the little blip, but had it been the whole 99999.9 thing I'd be upset.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tax time loometh
We're nearing April 15, and although I've filed my taxes, I'm still on the search for a job. For the first time, I applied for a job somewhere and had to explain the "gap" on my resume. Talk about adding insult to injury.
I'm trying, though. If it's out there, I'll find it.
In the meantime, I added "free-lance sports writer" back on my resume. I'd e-mailed Phil of Michigan Hockey fame during March, his busy time, to see if I could help out. Almost immediately he promised me four stories, which I officially got Thursday.
I totally forgot how much fun reporting and writing is. These are 800-word features and I tell you, I just love doing them.
It's almost unfair, really. Although I'm waiting for two callbacks to add to one story, I'm essentially done. I probably averaged three contacts for each and got pretty lucky on them being home. And they're hockey stories, so of course the people are talkative and friendly. Hockey people are always awesome.
The scary thing is these stories do come so easily, yet they pay the same as those state championship tournament ones I would do each March up until I went to Morocco. Those were equally fun to write -- let's face it, I love writing -- but wl-luh (that's "by God" in Arabic) the research for those was a bear.
On a given tournament story, it'd be something like an hour commute one-way, anywhere between 3-5 hours at a rink, at least four interviews as well as time spent tracking down the frazzled tournament director and scoresheets for the games up until the championship game, then getting back home, transcribing the interviews and writing a game story, then going through each of the 15 or so scoresheets to write something about each of those games.
So that took forever. The ones I'm doing now, though, haven't been more than three hours each, which includes everything from calling to writing. It's awesome.
The book is slower, though. Man, it's slower, but I think there is a final format now. I've turned in eight chapters and hope to finish the ninth tonight. Since there are 16, reasoning would be that I'm half done but the reality is some of the chapters were a little more pulled together than the others, and I did those first. I think the last half of the book will be more time-consuming, but I'm in it for the long run.
In other news, I dug up my old Red Cross cards, which means I don't have to re-take some classes to certify as disaster-trained. Realistically, I feel I should because even though they don't expire I don't remember squat. Most of the classes are offered at night, when I can't do them since I'm at a park, but I did just take a humanitarian law class yesterday, which was intriguing.
Last night, my dog showed her age. She leaps off the bed in order to go out for her last run (and she tends to stab me with her claws) and she returns with a cookie or rawhideand plops back up beside me.
I heard her nails clicking as they picked up speed and then I heard and felt a THUD. I looked down from the bed, and there she was, standing and looking more dazed than usual. My poor baby girl had smacked into the side of the bed.
But she did keep her wits about her. She still had a good grip on the cookie.
That's my girl.
I'm trying, though. If it's out there, I'll find it.
In the meantime, I added "free-lance sports writer" back on my resume. I'd e-mailed Phil of Michigan Hockey fame during March, his busy time, to see if I could help out. Almost immediately he promised me four stories, which I officially got Thursday.
I totally forgot how much fun reporting and writing is. These are 800-word features and I tell you, I just love doing them.
It's almost unfair, really. Although I'm waiting for two callbacks to add to one story, I'm essentially done. I probably averaged three contacts for each and got pretty lucky on them being home. And they're hockey stories, so of course the people are talkative and friendly. Hockey people are always awesome.
The scary thing is these stories do come so easily, yet they pay the same as those state championship tournament ones I would do each March up until I went to Morocco. Those were equally fun to write -- let's face it, I love writing -- but wl-luh (that's "by God" in Arabic) the research for those was a bear.
On a given tournament story, it'd be something like an hour commute one-way, anywhere between 3-5 hours at a rink, at least four interviews as well as time spent tracking down the frazzled tournament director and scoresheets for the games up until the championship game, then getting back home, transcribing the interviews and writing a game story, then going through each of the 15 or so scoresheets to write something about each of those games.
So that took forever. The ones I'm doing now, though, haven't been more than three hours each, which includes everything from calling to writing. It's awesome.
The book is slower, though. Man, it's slower, but I think there is a final format now. I've turned in eight chapters and hope to finish the ninth tonight. Since there are 16, reasoning would be that I'm half done but the reality is some of the chapters were a little more pulled together than the others, and I did those first. I think the last half of the book will be more time-consuming, but I'm in it for the long run.
In other news, I dug up my old Red Cross cards, which means I don't have to re-take some classes to certify as disaster-trained. Realistically, I feel I should because even though they don't expire I don't remember squat. Most of the classes are offered at night, when I can't do them since I'm at a park, but I did just take a humanitarian law class yesterday, which was intriguing.
Last night, my dog showed her age. She leaps off the bed in order to go out for her last run (and she tends to stab me with her claws) and she returns with a cookie or rawhideand plops back up beside me.
I heard her nails clicking as they picked up speed and then I heard and felt a THUD. I looked down from the bed, and there she was, standing and looking more dazed than usual. My poor baby girl had smacked into the side of the bed.
But she did keep her wits about her. She still had a good grip on the cookie.
That's my girl.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
It's back to me and my dog
Spring break is over!
Zippy and I returned the boys this weekend. Today, I woke up to silence, and then freaked that the boys were being too quiet. When I realized they weren't in the house, I then thought, "Oh, Laurie must have taken them to school today" before finally waking up enough to realize that my shift is over.
Don't get me wrong. I had fun with them, and Mackenzie. But man, that was so full-time. And I was really, really hands-on, so I'm still fairly exhausted.
They did a lot during spring break. As we took them to school Monday, we reviewed the list, which included Springtime Tallahassee, cutting trees, seeing a snake, collecting a snakeskin, walking Kocur, petting Kocur, playing with Kocur, spending time with Kocur, seeing Uncle Barry and Mackenzie, eating at several restaurants they don't have in Orlando, Aunt Terri and Payday, decorating and then ingesting cookies, Wild Adventures, specific things about WA, like that falcon ride, the snakes, and the snake that Wendy found, Wendy's house in general, which included a donkey, a devil horse and horseback riding, a visit to Clearwater to see Grandma Zippy play ball, various entertaining games with me and other random children that joined us, a long time at the Chick-Fil-A playground in Clearwater, arriving home and getting Easter candy, an egg hunt and finally, seeing a space shuttle launch close up while listening to their mom communicate to the shuttle and over the speakers.
The boys did a lot. No wonder I'm bushed.
Fortunately, the shuttle launch went up fantastically. Laurie somehow, without her even trying, landed us a primo pass. We watched the launch from about the distance she did. The same area where the press parked. It was amazing.
Prior to the launch, we even saw the space center in its orbit around, then the last pre-daylight launch went off without a hitch.
The drive back was nightmarish because it took three solid hours, but it's just like that. Small price to pay for one of the few remaining shuttle launches.
We sent the boys off to school and hit the road again. Kocur greeted me as soon as I got home and then I went to work my little two-hour shift. After, I greeted Kocur again. She missed me.
Kocur was all up close and personal last night, wanting to breathe in my face and pet me. She's still keeping a careful watch on my coming and going.
I did get my first Parks & Rec paycheck. It's only $157, but I feel rich. I guess the city pays twice a month, so the next check should have two weeks in it. I only have 10 hours during the week, so I hope I can pick up the Saturdays, too. There haven't been games the last two, so that works out since I haven't been available. Now I hope I can.
And now, it's back to the drafting table.
Zippy and I returned the boys this weekend. Today, I woke up to silence, and then freaked that the boys were being too quiet. When I realized they weren't in the house, I then thought, "Oh, Laurie must have taken them to school today" before finally waking up enough to realize that my shift is over.
Don't get me wrong. I had fun with them, and Mackenzie. But man, that was so full-time. And I was really, really hands-on, so I'm still fairly exhausted.
They did a lot during spring break. As we took them to school Monday, we reviewed the list, which included Springtime Tallahassee, cutting trees, seeing a snake, collecting a snakeskin, walking Kocur, petting Kocur, playing with Kocur, spending time with Kocur, seeing Uncle Barry and Mackenzie, eating at several restaurants they don't have in Orlando, Aunt Terri and Payday, decorating and then ingesting cookies, Wild Adventures, specific things about WA, like that falcon ride, the snakes, and the snake that Wendy found, Wendy's house in general, which included a donkey, a devil horse and horseback riding, a visit to Clearwater to see Grandma Zippy play ball, various entertaining games with me and other random children that joined us, a long time at the Chick-Fil-A playground in Clearwater, arriving home and getting Easter candy, an egg hunt and finally, seeing a space shuttle launch close up while listening to their mom communicate to the shuttle and over the speakers.
The boys did a lot. No wonder I'm bushed.
Fortunately, the shuttle launch went up fantastically. Laurie somehow, without her even trying, landed us a primo pass. We watched the launch from about the distance she did. The same area where the press parked. It was amazing.
Prior to the launch, we even saw the space center in its orbit around, then the last pre-daylight launch went off without a hitch.
The drive back was nightmarish because it took three solid hours, but it's just like that. Small price to pay for one of the few remaining shuttle launches.
We sent the boys off to school and hit the road again. Kocur greeted me as soon as I got home and then I went to work my little two-hour shift. After, I greeted Kocur again. She missed me.
Kocur was all up close and personal last night, wanting to breathe in my face and pet me. She's still keeping a careful watch on my coming and going.
I did get my first Parks & Rec paycheck. It's only $157, but I feel rich. I guess the city pays twice a month, so the next check should have two weeks in it. I only have 10 hours during the week, so I hope I can pick up the Saturdays, too. There haven't been games the last two, so that works out since I haven't been available. Now I hope I can.
And now, it's back to the drafting table.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
